CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc. ® honor female agents with OPAL Award for leadership and community service
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (March 7, 2019) – Leading home-based travel agencies CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc. ® celebrate Women’s History Month in March by honoring female vacation specialists with the OPAL Award for Women. The company has named CruiseOne Franchisee Suzanne Klasen and Cruises Inc. Vacation Specialist Denise Valente the 2019 recipients of this prestigious award.
The OPAL Award recognizes a female franchise owner and an independent vacation specialist who demonstrate Outstanding Performance And Leadership. The honorees are active in community and civic organizations, and demonstrate leadership within CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
“Empowering women and small business owners is my passion and the OPAL Award is one of my favorite recognition programs that we have because it celebrates our female entrepreneurs who are making a difference not only in our network, but also in the world and their local communities,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “Suzanne and Denise embody the meaning behind International Woman’s Day and Women’s History Month and we are honored to recognize them for their accomplishments and contributions.”
A resident of Simi Valley, Calif., Klasen has been a CruiseOne franchise owner since 2012. Klasen works tirelessly in her community to improve the lives of others through her volunteer and charitable efforts, and to build positive brand recognition for her CruiseOne franchise. Klasen represented CruiseOne at the International Franchise Association’s Franchise Expo West opening ceremony, and also speaks to potential new travel agents. Locally, Klasen is active with the Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors’ Team welcoming new members, as well as with the Kiwanis Club of Simi Valley where she is on the Hospitality Committee donating autographed children’s books to school libraries, sponsoring events and supported a scholarship fund for a fellow member. What’s more, she is a board member of the Daughters of the British Empire California Inc. State Board, whose primary purpose is to provide charitable funding to support their senior assisted living homes across the country. Throughout Simi Valley, Klasen is known for her Liza Minnelli Tribute Show and performs at local fundraisers.
Prior to becoming an independent vacation specialist in Fort Pierce, Fla., Valente dedicated her life to being a full-time volunteer in education and has traveled both nationally and abroad to help others in this regard. She has also been extensively involved in disaster relief efforts and volunteer construction projects locally and across the country. Her goals are to continue in her education work and to be available to volunteer for international disaster relief and construction projects as the need arises. In addition, in her community she has coordinated fundraisers for a childhood cancer survivor and is committed to supporting animal shelters and heart disease-related organizations.
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.
For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com to learn more about owning a Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit www.sellcruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. host agency.
About Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.®
Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® are part of World Travel Holdings, the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. The Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise opportunities give entrepreneurs a choice in how they want to brand their travel business, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity. Both business models provide a work-from-home opportunity to those interested in selling all types of travel experiences whether it be a cruise, resort stay or land tour. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, travel agents with all three brands are given premium resources to plan and create a seamless vacation experience for the customer while offering the best value. For more information on Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com, like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise or watch its videos at www.youtube.com/DreamVacationsBusiness. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit www.SellCruises.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SellCruises.